Do You know these Strange Mental Disorders?

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Mental illness is a complex world, full of particular physiological patterns. In fact, most of them, we never hear about, until we are personally facing them, or someone close to us is. In the article below, we describe some of the strange and lesser known illnesses that can affect individuals as their behaviors change.

Automatonophobia

Have you ever entered a museum and started being afraid of the various inanimate characters that live there? Or maybe, you entered into a mall, and you felt fear at the view of mannequins? That can be caused by automatonophobia; a mental illness that makes you scare of anything that looks like a body, but isn’t alive. It can also cause you fear of animatronics. This is a very real psychological issue, that causes major symptoms, such as sweaty palms, feeling lightheaded or even a suffocating sensation, as you are convinced that they will be coming for you, in some ways. In most cases, the main effect is panic, as anxiety rises inside the individual, once he comes face to face with one.

It quickly becomes obsessive, as the person remains aware at all time of his environment, scanning with his eyes, to make sure that there aren’t any “presence” around him. There are various explanations of behaviours that can lead to automatonophobia. It can come from being a weak person, scared of everyone else, or it can spring in someone who has a limitless imagination. Science-fiction and horror films can also be a secondary cause, as it can have opened a trauma, in the past. As in most mental illness, it can also simply come from a genetic predisposition.

Gamomania

This next illness may seem funny, but it should not be treated as such. Some individuals may suffer from gamomania, which pushes them towards other people, in order to ask them in marriage. Even to total strangers. Although they may simply seem crazy, they are being totally honest about their demand. The problem is that they will also be true, the next time they cross paths with somebody else that they like. If you find yourself married to such a person, you can be assured that they will never remain faithful. In fact, they look for a polygamous lifestyle, that will only cause many tears and problems along the way.

Object Sexuality

If some people just want to marry other ones, as we have just described, this mental illness is a bit stranger as those affected by it, fall in love with objects, instead of human beings. Sometimes, it is easy to think that this is just a game and that metal illness patients don’t really believe what they are saying. But they are. In the case of “objectum sexuality,” a person can fall in love with a teddy bear, but also with something much bigger, like a house or a tree. There is a real sensation of love being felt by these individuals towards the object, and they often feel as if they are married to them.

Derealization

This syndrome can be quite difficult for individuals to live with, as it implies a dematerialization of their environment. It feels as if they are living under the effects of hallucinogenic drugs, which makes their world melt, change colours or even affects its depth. This is called a dissociative state, which is brought by neurological or psychiatric disorders. In truth, the hallucination isn’t necessarily only visual. Some people also have a modification in taste, smell and hearing, which causes them to be disoriented inside their own world.

The Munchausen Syndrome

Although better known, Munchausen syndrome is still a mystery to most. As if real health issues were not sufficient to some, they create fake ones, so that people will take pity on them. There have been very famous cases of this mental illness. It can destroy people’s lives, as they believe that their loved one is sick, when they are not. This is something caregiver must be aware and worried of, if they have someone under their attention that does not seem to ever get better. A psychiatrist opinion would certainly be welcomed, to decipher the truth from the lie.

The Stockholm Syndrome

This is another syndrome that got worldwide attention when robbers kidnapped bank employees, who ended up defending them. It happened in Stockholm, Sweden, which is where it got its name. It has gone so far as one of the kidnapped women marrying one of the men that put on the heist. This is far more frequent than one may think. It is due in part by the situation that is developing, but also by the charisma of the person committing the wrong and the weakness of the person suffering. We see such situations in cases of rape and incest, as well as in mistreated wives and kids. It is pernicious, and anyone seeing this happen from the outside, should let someone know about it, so that it can be stopped.

The Alice in Wonderland Syndrome

If you have never read the classic story of Alice, you may not know that there is a moment where she feels too big, right before she feels too small. That is what this syndrome refers to. Those that suffer from it get a distorted sense of their body size. They may feel as if they are too thin, while at other moments, they can reach a gigantic size. This is accompanied by major migraines, which is brought on by abnormal flow of blood to the brain. It also comes with a severe depression. This never goes away in people who suffer from the syndrome, but thankfully, there are very few episodes that they have to go through, during their whole life.

These are but a few examples of strange mental illnesses that exist in the world. They are quite serious and should never be laughed at or frowned upon. People that suffer from them are in distress and need all the help they can get, just to get through. If someone close to you is hurting, take the time to learn more, so that you can be there for them.

f their body size. They may feel as if they are too thin, while at other moments, they can reach a gigantic size. This is accompanied by major migraines, which is brought on by abnormal flow of blood to the brain. It also comes with a severe depression. This never goes away in people who suffer from the syndrome, but thankfully, there are very few episodes that they have to go through, during their whole life.

These are but a few examples of strange mental illnesses that exist in the world. They are quite serious and should never be laughed at or frowned upon. People that suffer from them are in distress and need all the help they can get, just to get through. If someone close to you is hurting, take the time to learn more, so that you can be there for them.